a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the sound-insulation of structural components of a house or building, such as ceilings, walls or floors.
b) Brief Description of the Prior Art
A major consideration in the contraction of a house or building is to provide a suitable sound-insulation. The construction standards establish that the level of aerial noises expressed in frequencies should range between 125 to 4000 Hz. However, impact noises ranging between 100 and 3150 Hz and all the low frequency noises are not subjected to reglementations and can be particularly painful for residents of a house or building. For example, the sound of heels on a floor, the cracking of floors or the noise of different apparatuses for industrial or home use, may be painful and cumbersome.
The prior art in this field includes a suspension and sound-insulation system that was made by the present inventor and is presently offered for sale under the tradename CALI. This system is designed to reduce low frequency noises and impact noises in addition to offering an insulation level much higher than the conventional one. In this system, a plurality of rubber cylinders are used to support the finishing panels of a house or building, in order to reduce the transmission of the noises between the structure and these panels. This system may also be used in installing motors, garage doors or any other apparatus which could induce undesirable vibrations. Each rubber cylinder has a cavity extending axially and centrally, and an inner cylindrical layer made of a rigidifying material that preferably consists of a twisted rope. All the cylinders are attached to a rigid structural surface of the infra-structure, such as wood beams, and they support suspension bars to which are attached the finishing panels, which can be parts of a ceiling or wall. A suspension rod preferably made of metal and provided with two opposite ends, is used to attach each cylinder to the structure surface. The suspension rod is inserted into the cavity of the corresponding cylinder and its opposite ends are folded so as to extend up to the structure surface and be fixed thereto. The suspension bars are attached to the cylinders opposite to the structural surface with fixation means consisting of a set of metal wires. The wires are wrapped around the suspension bars, inserted into the cavities of the cylinders and twisted together in order to connect them. In this manner, each suspension bar is attached to each cylinder without being in contact with the structure of the house or building. The sound transmitted by the structure to the suspension bar is therefore damped by the cylindrical cylinders.
This known system is efficient but must be installed with care, since any contact between the suspension rods used to attach the cylinders to the structure surface and one or more metal wires used to attach the suspension bars may substantially reduce the insulating efficiency.